Shahzeb murder case: SC orders to put Shahrukh and others on ECL

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday issued orders to put names of the accused in the murder case of Shahzeb Khan on the Exit Control List, as it accepted the appeal of civil society activists against the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) retrial order for hearing.

During the hearing of the appeal at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar directed the government and interior ministry to place the names of Shahrukh Jatoi, Siraj Talpur, Sajjad Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari on the ECL.

The court also issued bailable arrest warrants for the suspects and sent out notices to all the respondents in the case.

Members of civil society had approached the Supreme Court against the SHC ruling which set aside the death penalty for Shahrukh Jatoi and others convicted for the 2012 murder of Shahzeb and ordered their retrial by a sessions court.

Civil society in the arguments plead to Supreme court not to exclude terrorist ACT because this is an important case and by large has a huge impact on society also added that accused are having a rich family background which will encourage these types of people in the future to take law in their hands.

An ATC in 2013 had awarded death sentences to Jatoi and Siraj Talpur for the murder of Shahzeb, while life sentences were awarded to Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari.